None of these trillions of dollars have saved many lives IMO. I am not afraid of terrorism. We will need to reassess our immigration policies to really stop terrorism. I don't want the govt knowing who I called or when I called someone.

BTW, this guy was only a HS graduate and was given access to our governments highest and most valuable intel? Really? Where did he come from and why was he given so much destructive power if it were so important? I'm surprised that some conservatives want this kind of government over-reach. It doesn't surprise me that far lefty's don't want it. They see the potential for abuse from both angles. As far as I can tell, there are a few conservatives like Rand Paul who see the light.

I hope some of you will change your minds. You do realize that with voice recognition, they can now identify your deepest communications. You might be planning to protest a new oil pipeline and sandblasting your house..... NSA computer flags said comunication, and a quick call to the epa, and your paying $37,500 per day for your mis-deeds....AND WILL NEVER KNOW THAT THE NSA JUST CALLED THE EPA ON YOUR BEHALF. C'mon guys, Wake up and smell the coffee.

Last edited by MalibuGuru on Tue Jun 25, 2013 12:36 pm; edited 1 time in total

Back in the 70s I had cop roommates. The detectives in that dept. had their own wiretapping gear they bought in the classified section in the back of Popular Mechanicss magazine.
They tapped phones whenever they wanted, trolling for info on crimes.
The info wasnt admissible in court but gave them the leads to focus the investigation and build a case that was admissible.
The bosses did not want to "know"this, but were happy about the success rate of crime intervention. These guys defended the practice by saying it was commonplace.

Pretty funny guy you are Bard. I get permits for my projects. Unlike some, I know how to get it done--and why it matters.

As has been the plight of many who had permits, the epa just shows up and starts the meter running. What about the couple that had building permits and their land was declared "wetlands" by a bureaucrat. Interesting that they dug a 20 foot well that was dry....but they did have all the proper permits.

Oh Bard, you were wrong on that before and you are still wrong. How easily the wool is pulled over your eyes:

Quote:

But the NRDC has produced documents that suggest the Sacketts have left out important parts of the story.

The documents, obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the federal Freedom of Information Act, show that the couple disregarded the opinion of a wetlands expert they hired to evaluate their property. The Sacketts also passed up an offer from the Army, which shares jurisdiction over wetlands with the EPA, to seek a permit that might have allowed work to continue on the site with little delay, according to the NRDC.

Tom Duebendorfer, a biologist who specializes in wetlands, confirmed to The Associated Press that he advised the Sacketts in May 2007 that their property was a wetlands and that there were wetlands on three sides of their land. The Sacketts say that in 2010, other wetlands consultants examined their land and concluded Duebendorfer was wrong.

"I maintain they were wetlands," said Duebendorfer, who says he has worked in the Pacific Northwest for 35 years.

In other words, 'Well I guess it's okay if you keep him as long as you want, but don't waterboard him, that would be a bad thing, we might get a little upset'.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kerry: US wants no confrontation with Russia
By DEB RIECHMANN
Associated Press

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that the United States is not looking for a confrontation with Russia, where admitted NSA leaker Edward Snowden is believed to be hiding.

Speaking at a news conference in Saudi Arabia, Kerry said it's true that the United States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia but called on Moscow to comply with common law practices between countries where fugitives are concerned.

"There are standards of behavior between sovereign nations. There is common law," Kerry said. "There is respect for rule of law and we would simply call on our friends in Russia to respect the fact that a partner nation - a co-member of the permanent five of the United Nations - has made a normal request under legal systems."

Lavrov insisted that Russia had nothing to do with him or his travel plans.

Washington does not need a fight with Moscow at a time when U.S.-Russian relations are strained over Syria. Kerry and Lavrov are to meet next week at a Southeast Asia security conference in Brunei.

Kerry, however, said the U.S. continues to hope that if Snowden is in Russia, that Moscow would turn him over to American authorities. He noted that in the past two years, the U.S. transferred seven people to Russia at Moscow's request. Kerry said the U.S. did so "without any clamor, without any rancor, without any arguments."

Kerry said, "I would simply appeal for calm and reasonableness. We would hope that Russia would not side with someone who is a fugitive' from justice."

"They certainly can allow him to be subject to the laws and our constitution of which he is a citizen of, and that's what we call on him to do. We're not looking for a confrontation," Kerry said. "We are not ordering anybody."

"We don't need to raise the level of confrontation over something that's frankly as basic and normal as this," he said.

Snowden is a former CIA employee who later was hired as a contractor for the NSA. In that job, he gained access to documents that he gave to newspapers the Guardian and The Washington Post to expose what he contends are privacy violations by an authoritarian government.

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